Learning How To Celebrate
by Ischemia
Summary: A Valentines Day Zemyx fic. Axel enlists the help of Zexion to cheer Demyx up; mainly because he's sick of his whining. Zexion finds that even doing something you aren't looking forward to can yield...Interesting results. Zemyx, some AkuRoku. ONESHOT.


**Dedicated to my lovely Demyx for Valentines Day. You elude me completely and I have absolutely no idea what goes through your pretty head, but nonetheless I love you so. Happy Saint Valentines Day, love. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts then the story would revolve around the far more interesting characters (ex: Organization XIII). Also, there would be Buttsex.**

**_____________**

It should be written somewhere that there is no true way to handle Demyx. A creature such as he can really only be guessed and experimented with until you've managed to find the exact pattern that his _imaginative_ brain follows. Zexion would be lying if he said that even after knowing the boy so long that he even had an inkling as to how he thinks, and although Zexion is a schemer, a liar he is not.

So it's only fair that no one should be blamed when Demyx is upset or confused with him, because Zexion is positive that either he is completely insane or the Sitarist was, and Zexion prided himself on his logic.

However, when the day came where Axel strode into the castles library with all of the bravado that the pyromaniac could muster, Zexion had very little doubt that a lecture would soon ensue. He didn't bother to look up from the anthology he had been reading, and simply gestured one-handedly for Axel to leave.

"Spare me the song and dance, VIII. If this is about Demyx I will absolutely not apologize."

Axels grin lit up his face; he supposed that when Demyx was even the slightest bit disheartened he had known that getting a "hello" from Zexion is usually all you should expect, and had prepared to spend the next hour interrogating the short man until he had gotten quite what he wanted. If there was anything that Axel was good at, it was getting what he wanted. You could ask anyone in the Organization that, but Roxas knew it best.

"You know, for someone who complains about the lack of politeness in this castle, you certainly know how to make someone feel welcome." Axel took the seat across from Zexions own. Instead of trying to make eye contact he decided to look around the library instead, after all Axel was hardly in the library unless it involved him trying to find a hiding Roxas. The room smelled musky with paper and leather. Axel wanted to mention that the size of the room made Zexion look even smaller, but he knew it was probably a bad time for teasing.

"I'll make someone feel welcome when they haven't come to visit solely to accuse me of upsetting a man with the emotional stability of a four year old child." Axel snorted in response, it was very true but Demyx was still his best friend, and he was doing what best friends have to do.

"Oh come on, Zex. The kid hasn't even touched his breakfast, and you know how much he likes breakfast."

Zexion did know this. In fact just the other day, during his ritual morning coffee, Demyx had run down the steps from his room and dashed into the kitchen like a child on Christmas morning, and of course tumbled down the last three landing on his bottom and looking dazed, but still smiling. Zexion being the only one in the kitchen at that time, and probably the only other member awake during that hour, Demyx would wake early to watch his cartoons loudly, and there was no one else who could help him. The Schemer was sure that Demyx was fine, but knew it was only polite to assist him up from the floor. Pulling himself from his chair and setting his coffee on the table, he walked over to give the taller man a hand up.

"I don't think you could lift me Zexy, I mean you aren't the biggest organization member here are you?" Demyx spoke innocently enough what he thought was the truth, but Zexion didn't feel very pleased with the fact.

"Do you want a hand, or not?" Zexion stretched out his hand again to the boy, and hoped there weren't anymore quips about his height left in Demyx. He struggled to pull IX up, something he wouldn't dare admit to even the most talented torturer, and smirked proudly at his strength. Demyx wouldn't dare tell Zexion that he had gotten up completely on his own and just wanted an excuse to touch the shorter boys hand.

"I was just so excited about breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day, you know?" he chirped while still gripping onto Zexions fingers. Demyx looked a little too proud of his ability to recite a fact that a kindergartener would most likely know, and Zexion didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Both, of course, were completely out of the question, and so he just stood there hoping that Demyx would find someone else to bother or that Demyxs ADD would distract him and let Zexion finally finish his god-forsaken coffee.

"…Right." By now Zexion was pretty sure that Demyx could get excited over anything, but decided to let the strangeness of the musician be overlooked, he would much rather enjoy the feeling of the calloused larger hands over his own. Actually, Zexion wasn't sure why they still held hands and so he awkwardly decided to finally pull his back, focusing more deeply on where the chip in the linoleum kitchen floor might have come from. Demyx chuckled and blushed when he remembered that it wasn't a very subtle move on his part, and lifted a hand to scratch at the back of his head with.

Axel cleared his throat and brought Zexion back into reality, wondering why the slate haired man sat frozen with a confused look on his face. He cracked his fingers just to make sure he had recaptured the boys attention.

"All I'm asking is that you try to talk to him. Give the kid a break, will you?" Axel ran his fingers through the front spikes of his hair; he was getting worried Zexion might break out his vocabulary and start trying to confuse him with words like "eutrophication", whatever the hell that means.

"What did I even do?" Zexion looked up and met Axels illuminated green eyes. He would admit that the red head was extremely attractive but not his type, and if his natural height wasn't already a factor in his preferences, then the mass of scarlet hair that towered above it only worsened the fact. Zexion had long known that he cared very little about the gender of his desires; he never acted upon them anyway and didn't plan on dealing much in life with objects that could speak. It was one of the biggest reasons he liked science so much. You can only imagine how much of a problem it was, for what could be a good friendship, that Demyx spoke all the time as well as played music in-between his chattering. Being a social recluse, Zexion could usually avoid any sound outside of the bubbling of liquids in beakers, the scratching of pen on paper, and most often the sweet crackle from turning a books page.

"It's more what you _haven't_ done that's the problem," Axel folded one leg over the other and leaned on his hand, gesturing his words with the other. "He really cares about you." Zexions hands felt sweaty in his gloves, these uniforms were a dumb policy.

"Besides, if I can't convince you then maybe the Queen Bitch herself can." The often spoken nickname of Larxene was a threat to anyone in the castle, Axel was bringing out the big guns; Xigbar had nothing on him. If Axel could do one thing well, outside of the deep trauma and molestation of short blonde children, it was manipulation. It often astounded Zexion who prided himself with a similar title, and was probably the closest thing they had to a common interest. "Got it Memorized" indeed.

"Will you leave me alone if I talk to him?" Zexion knew he might be asking for too much, but he wanted to be assured that it was worth his time to wait a little longer to finish the book he was reading. It wouldn't be a surprise to find that the next day Axel might come bounding in again with a new Demyx related task for him.

"For a whole week. Just get him to stop whining?" Axel replied, and smiled haughtily with his teeth. Yes he was Demyxs good friend, but it was the whining that usually brought him to do anything for the boy at all.

"If you go back on that I'll tell Vexen he has a new volunteer for his project. I can assure you that you wouldn't appreciate it. So for it makes Dr. Frankenstein look like Mr. Rogers in comparison."

"Point taken." Axel laughed and pulled his lanky body up from its slouched position in the chair. He walked towards the door with the usual sashay in his hips, and waved goodbye without turning his head.

Exhaling deeply, Zexion placed the bent bookmark in-between the pages he had stopped at when Axel so rudely interrupted him. A migraine was hammering away in his skull like a heartbeat, but and the image of Demyx sulking away in his room forced him to put down the beloved text and start the slow climb to Demyxs room.

Demyx tried to keep himself interested in his sitar, but he was too gloomy to enjoy any beats. Even some of the best musicians would admit that there are days when there just isn't any energy for fun, and today Demyx was feeling the weight of that emotion very strongly.

The fact was; Today is Valentines Day, and he was sure he was the only member of the Organization that remembered. It wasn't that no one made him any paper hearts, or that he hadn't gotten any of his much loved chocolate, but that nobody had even bothered to say hello, when they had known he had been depressed lately. Demyx had been melancholy ever since a couple of days ago, when he had run into _him_ early in the morning. He had bothered Zexion when the smaller boy was drinking his coffee, which he didn't mean to disturb but being as tall as Demyx often lowered your sense of balance. The fall he took was nothing compared to the embarrassment that followed when he saw the bored, if not alarmed, expression on the other boys face.

The mere memory made all of Demyxs limbs hurt, and his face faintly resemble a tomato. He hoped he wouldn't bump into any Organization member until he had repressed the horrific event, and took refuge in his room assuming he could occupy himself with music and early morning cartoons. But his music was sorrowful and his cartoons replaced with romantic comedy movies, which only brought him further down into his depression. He strummed a low note idly on his sitar as he thought; something Demyx did very little if he could help it.

His deep concentration, or at least Demyxs attempt at it, was ruined by a meek shuffling outside of his door. Demyxs heart stopped for a moment, his face frozen in anxious hope. Had someone come to see him, did someone finally remember what this important day was? Maybe Axel finally got sick of his downtrodden music and decided to stop it at the source. The shuffling had stopped, as if the thing in front of it was debating on showing itself to Demyx just yet. There was a creak, and by the sound of it the blonde guessed the person outside had just shifted his weight. That same creak had been there since the night Larxene and Luxord had the catfight of the century and Luxord ended up headfirst outside Demyxs door.

The vibration of the knocking drew Demyx out of his thoughts. He didn't feel very much like talking to anyone, but on the chance that someone wanted to celebrate such an important Holiday with him, he called out "It's open".

A small silhouette stood in the doorway, its arms were crossed defensively and its hair stuck out oddly all on one side. Demyx smiled, knowing that only one person in this castle was that short and had such a haircut; Zexion.

"You didn't have to knock, Zexy! You could have just come in!" Demyx uttered the sentence too quickly, and tried to get up all at once to greet the other boy.

"It's only polite." Zexion never was one for saying any more words than he had to. Demyx stood in front of him expectantly, and wrung his hands innocently in his lap.

"So did you come here to do anything in particular?" Demyx wanted to finish that sentence with something along the lines of "You know, like spend Valentines Day with me because I think we'd be just great" but knew that was more information than anyone needed to know right now.

"Not really, Axel said you looked upset." Zexion unfolded his arms and watched Demyx fidget cast in the light of the doorway, unable to see the room he was sure is messy and sheet music strewn in its darkness. It was uncharacteristic of Demyx to look so…_Depressed_.

"Yeah," it wasn't the answer that the musician was hoping he'd get from Zexion, but was glad that at least he showed up. "I guess everyone really did forget how important today is."

No one likes being confused, but Zexion, who is more often than not the only person to understand something, positively hates being confused. He knew it wasn't Demyxs birthday, because nobodies don't have things like that and anything close would be too depressing. Imagine; "Happy-we're-sorry-that-you-have-no-heart-now-day?" or perhaps even "Hey another whole year since you haven't really been a whole person!" Somehow Zexion doubted this is what could depress the blonde.

Oh. That's right. Today is Valentines Day. It wasn't as if Zexion had forgotten it completely; he had noticed it this morning when he tore off another day on his calendar and found it to be covered in heart decorations and pink lettering. What was so important about Valentines Day? Demyx had to be joking if that's honestly what all the fuss was about.

"You mean Saint Valentines Day?" the second the words left the blue-haired mans mouth Demyx flashed a smile that threatened to hurt Zexions jaw just from watching it.

"You remembered! I thought no one cared about Holidays like that!" Zexion didn't want to spoil the boy's glee and explain that no one really did care about Holidays like that, at least not Zexion, but decided maybe he could change Demyxs mind about the event.

"It isn't really that special," Zexion deadpanned "It's an old lore about a man of the church named Valentine who wanted men to be married when the Roman Emperor Claudius II wanted them to be unmarried and thus better fit for fighting wars. The Emperor didn't like anyone disagreeing with him and had him arrested and assigned him execution, when Valentine was in jail he wrote a love-letter to his beloved and signed it "Your Valentine", hence the tradition. We don't even know that much about it being fact, and February 14th is just the day that Valentine died."

Demyx watched him explain this calmly and could only think that Zexion really did know how to take the romance out of everything. Was this really the person who Demyx was going to spend Valentines Day with?

"Yeah well that last parts nice, right?" IX sincerely hoped that there was a chance for the blue haired kill joy to regain some type of humanity.

"The execution?" There goes that hope.

"I meant the letter."

"Oh. I suppose." If Demyx wasn't the stubborn optimist that he is, then he would have probably stopped trying right there.

"That's still an agreement," Zexion looked uncomfortable in the doorway still, and was probably planning a way to escape this situation. Demyx knew he needed to get onto a better subject, something that would make Zexion laugh or join in conversation.

"Besides, I guess it's hard to see eye to eye on things when I'm so much taller than you!"

Zexion did not look amused, and Demyx realizes now that was probably not the best idea. He slapped his hand against his forehead to enunciate the fact, and laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way I just…You know."

"Will you feel better now that you know someone else has remembered Saint Valentines Day?" The evening was hot and Zexion was becoming increasingly uncomfortable in the silence that hung between them.

"Well I didn't really _celebrate_ yet."

"Celebrate? I'm not going to spend my night cutting out paper hearts with you if that's part of your plan IX."

Demyx pouted, but didn't let that get in the way of what he really wanted this Valentines Day, which of course was impossible to get. At least right now it was.

"Nothing romantic ever happens around here anyway" Demyx hadn't completely intended to say it, but he was sure Zexion didn't care.

"That's not true; Axel and Roxas are a pair. Albeit a strange one, and sometimes one-sided on both ends but…They do love each other; however much a nobody can love another that is."

Demyx was pleased to hear that there was even a glimmer of understanding in Zexions words. He smiled and walked up to the shorter boy slowly, taking his gloved hands swiftly enough for Zexion to be too alarmed to pull them back.

"I knew someone other then me was still a romantic!" Demyx announced, echoing into the hallway and very thoroughly embarrassing Zexion; who was too shocked and confused to pull his hands back again. The smile on Demyxs face was serene, as if a large weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Zexion felt somewhere in his chest the mourning of the feelings he wished he could have. He used Demyxs hands to pull the taller man down, and got up on his tip toes. Locking his dark eyes with the Sitarist's bright ones, Zexion leaned forward to touch his lips to Demyxs own. It was short at first, just a brush against the other to get the idea across, when Demyxs arms let go of Zexions hands and wrapped around his waist instead, helping the shorter man reach and pulling him closer. Pulling apart, Zexion smiled smugly as Demyx stared at him with a very confused expression on his face.

"Is that the sort of way you planned on _celebrating_ today, Demyx?"

The man nodded dumbly in response, a lopsided grin hanging on his face. Zexion nodded in return, secretly enjoying very much the effect that he had on the blonde, and walked back towards the door, turning around to say:

"I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast then, Happy Saint Valentines Day Demyx."

Zexion pulled the door shut behind him as he waved goodbye, and began his descent to the basement. He had to get good sleep seeing as he planned on a very important engagement over coffee tomorrow that he wanted to make sure he looked his best for. That, and he had twenty minutes left if he still planned on finishing that anthology before the night was out. It looked like today had worked out a lot better than Zexion thought it would. He made a mental note to thank Axel sometime later, and started down the steps towards the Library.

_The End._

**AN: Happy Valentines Day to everyone, and I hope you enjoyed my story. You know what to do with these things. Hey, since its Valentines Day and all, maybe all of you lurkers are feeling lonely? If so, there's a button below this that I think you'll totally hit it off with. I'd check it out, if you know what I mean.**


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